Not Sure How I Feel About New Business Model...
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All premier bags are overpriced. No disagreement there.
But the leather on my Balenciagas and Gucci bags is nicer than the leather on my Coaches. Consistently nicer.
My Cranberry Phoebe, already has a small spot where the color has flaked off. I am not going to return it because I have used it and I dont want to bother with an exchange of a similar quality bag. I simply re-conditioned it, and will maybe apply some color to it with a kit at some point if it really bothers me. But it certainly annoyed me.
Part of the reason that premier designer bags can justify their cost, is that they hold their value over time. Balenciagas in good condition, sell for only a couple of hundred dollars less than full price years later. Coach bags sell for half their price two months later and it is Coach that is doing the markdowns.
All premier bags are overpriced. No disagreement there.
But the leather on my Balenciagas and Gucci bags is nicer than the leather on my Coaches. Consistently nicer.
My Cranberry Phoebe, already has a small spot where the color has flaked off. I am not going to return it because I have used it and I dont want to bother with an exchange of a similar quality bag. I simply re-conditioned it, and will maybe apply some color to it with a kit at some point if it really bothers me. But it certainly annoyed me.
Part of the reason that premier designer bags can justify their cost, is that they hold their value over time. Balenciagas in good condition, sell for only a couple of hundred dollars less than full price years later. Coach bags sell for half their price two months later and it is Coach that is doing the markdowns.
Balenciaga bags have had seasons with not so great leathers and issues with color fading, worn piping etc. but they did an exceptional job with marketing.
The thing is, I'm not gonna bash any brand, nor will I allow myself to romanticize owning a bag by any particular label. I realize exactly what it is and that is design, leather, thread, and workmanship. I am either willing to pay for it or I'm not. Who was the designer that summed it up perfectly? "We don't sell handbags, we sell dreams..."
My favorite SA just quit last week and no one can tell me what happened. She is no longer at Coach. She was an assistant manager. I don't like anyone else at my closest FP store, so I am not going to be the same type of Coach customer I was when my favorite SA worked with me.
Coach bags are not worth $1,000 in my opinion. If I am going to go back to paying that for my bags, I will buy a couple of Gucci and Balenciagas a year or maybe try other premier designers, and only buy Coach on ebay at rock bottom prices.
Something's up
. One of my favorite SA's also quit a few month's ago and he was a manager. Last year he offered me a 30% special discount if I were to purchase a python Laila that had just come out. They had just gotten the higher end bags in their store. It was still out of my budget but I was so tempted!Well said.
I love both my Coaches and my balenciagas. (I am sick of my Chloes and don't really use them much) and I have a few Gucci bags that I use often. All of them were picked for style, leather, and most importantly the way they make me feel when I use them. That is the "dream" part of the equation.
Something's up
Something is definitely up. This manager waited on me for several years and always gave me impeccable customer service. She is no longer with Coach which says a lot, as I see her as someone they should have promoted.
I can't stand any of the other SA's at my main store (they are uneducated on styles and colors, do not know how to do any research, etc...)
I am not sure what Coach's master plan is, but I am a successful, affluent (or semi-affluent anyway
) woman who has disposable income to spend and they are literally pushing me away from their brand.
Oh well, I will keep buying Phoebes as long as I can get a discount from the department stores, or I will buy on ebay.
My main purse funds will now go elsewhere until Coach figures out what it wants to be when it grows up.
Thank you so much for that. I have had the same thing too. Returned something recently where the stitching came undone after minimal usage, not in a wear spot either, but on the outside side of a decorative pocket.
The manager processed the return and told me the bag would be destroyed. What did the receipt say?
Changed mind.
That "dings" us in Coach's records.
I know, long ago I got a no returns without receipt letter and have lived in "fear" of a ban letter. I really cut down on buying after that.
And the "buy it, take it home, return anytime" mantra really bugs me. Every time I go in the store and a new SA chats me up, they lead off with that crap. The SAs who know me don't pull that.
They DO hold returns against you. Yes they do.
The manager processed the return and told me the bag would be destroyed. What did the receipt say?
Changed mind.
That "dings" us in Coach's records.
I know, long ago I got a no returns without receipt letter and have lived in "fear" of a ban letter. I really cut down on buying after that.
And the "buy it, take it home, return anytime" mantra really bugs me. Every time I go in the store and a new SA chats me up, they lead off with that crap. The SAs who know me don't pull that.
They DO hold returns against you. Yes they do.
Yes what is up with that? I had a Aubergine Gathered Sophia shipped to me where the long strap was smooshed into the bag and when I moved the strap off it pulled the color right off the bag. I exchange for the same bag and got a "Customer Changed Mind". WTH??
IMO this is bad business, not just that it dings us, but it does not alert Coach to all the quality issues out there.
There has to be a reason they code it like this that we are not aware of....perhaps the store itself gets dinged if they have too many quality issues??
IMO this is bad business, not just that it dings us, but it does not alert Coach to all the quality issues out there.
There has to be a reason they code it like this that we are not aware of....perhaps the store itself gets dinged if they have too many quality issues??
I don't understand the purpose of a thread that bashes the very brand that someone professes to like. And to keep it going with continued comments.
Granted, this is just my opinion, but if I'm unhappy with a brand or company, I contact that company. At that point I have the choice to continue to purchase from that company, or move on.
To echo another poster, I buy what I like at a price I am comfortable paying.
I don't look down my nose at what someone else chooses to purchase, just because its different from what I choose. That seems a bit snobbish and judgemental to me. Some of the comments in this thread come across that way.
I thought we were all here to share our enthusiasm for Coach bags?
ETA: Quality issues and corporate policies are not what I'm referring to. My comments are in response to some that are looking down their noses at the Coach brand itself. Wanted to clarify that.
Granted, this is just my opinion, but if I'm unhappy with a brand or company, I contact that company. At that point I have the choice to continue to purchase from that company, or move on.
To echo another poster, I buy what I like at a price I am comfortable paying.
I don't look down my nose at what someone else chooses to purchase, just because its different from what I choose. That seems a bit snobbish and judgemental to me. Some of the comments in this thread come across that way.
I thought we were all here to share our enthusiasm for Coach bags?
ETA: Quality issues and corporate policies are not what I'm referring to. My comments are in response to some that are looking down their noses at the Coach brand itself. Wanted to clarify that.
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Definitely. Coach bags are not worth 1K. I've had my first bag for 3 years and the "C" on the edges has worn out. Still love the bag.. I always get compliments!
The one I bought December of last year, the stitching has come off of the zipper tag after 6 months. Coach wants $20 to fix that. Wow! I would def not pay 1K for this.
Maybe it's just me, but the bag I bought 3 years ago is sturdier than the one I bought last year!
I always get compliments, but I wish I didn't have to baby it so much!
I do love the new feel of the outlet. The styles IMO are much nicer than they used to be!
The one I bought December of last year, the stitching has come off of the zipper tag after 6 months. Coach wants $20 to fix that. Wow! I would def not pay 1K for this.
Maybe it's just me, but the bag I bought 3 years ago is sturdier than the one I bought last year!
I always get compliments, but I wish I didn't have to baby it so much!
I do love the new feel of the outlet. The styles IMO are much nicer than they used to be!
I don't think any of the regulars on this subforum are looking down on anyone.
Clearly we all buy Coach here. I am upset that my favorite SA quit and my regular FP store is acting totally different than it did just 2 weeks ago, which suggests to me that there are major policy changes happening at the FP stores. I am also disappointed that I continue to have quality issues. These would be my comments on any thread about Coach's changing FP store policies and/or quality threads.
To say that Coach bags are not worth $1,000 + a bag is not to insult Coach. I do think that Coach bags are worth around $300-400 a bag and that is what I pay for mine.